ENG-2004 — Page 304

254 Land, Public Works and Utilities

stormwater is discharged effectively to prevent blockages and overflows which may cause flooding and nuisance to the public.

In 2004, the department maintained about 3 279 kilometres of watercourses, river channels and drains, from which about 283 870 cubic metres of silt were removed.

The importance of flood prevention is promoted through various public education activities. A newly furnished San Tin Flood Prevention Information Centre was opened in late 2004. Students and interested parties are welcome to visit the centre. Promotional pamphlets and advisory notes are published and distributed to villagers and property management offices before the rainy season. In addition, the department has organised site visits for District Councillors and the media to promote their understanding of the department's work and thereby enhance public awareness of the initiatives taken to prevent flooding.

Civil Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering

The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) manages a comprehensive slope safety system, which has brought about

brought about a substantial improvement in the safety of slopes in Hong Kong. This has been achieved by improving slope safety standards and technology, ensuring the safety of new slopes, improving the safety of existing slopes, and providing public warnings, information, education and community advisory services on slope safety.

The department audits the adequacy of the design and standard of construction of all geotechnical works by the private sector, public authorities and government departments to ensure their long-term safety. In 2004, it audited 13 500 geotechnical design proposals and inspected 2 850 active construction sites.

The department maintains a continuing Landslip Preventive Measures (LPM) Programme to rectify the safety of existing slopes. In 2004, a total of about $770 million was spent on the LPM Programme. Upgrading works were completed on 250 government slopes, and all were landscaped to blend them with the surrounding environment. In addition, safety screening was completed on 312 private slopes.

The department inspects sub-standard slope to identify those particularly vulnerable to landslides, recommends clearance of the affected squatters and advises the occupants to seek safe shelter during heavy rain. In 2004, it inspected about 200 sub-standard slope and recommended clearance of the affected squatters.

With the availability of the Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System on the Internet, the public can have ready access to information on slopes under their responsibility. Other slope-related information is also available in the Slope Information System. A bilingual version of the system has been uploaded to the Internet at the CEDD's Hong Kong Slope Safety website, an important source of reference for the public to obtain slope-related information.